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Additional Credits

A big thank you to the boys who appear in these photos, for allowing me into their lives to document them.

Many thanks to Diana & Tuk for all their help and support.

Video

Photographer Statement

In 2013, Australian photographer Anna Fawcus travelled to the south of Thailand to document a group of young Muay Thai fighters. At the Rawai Muay Thai gym, she was invited to spend time with the young boxers at their home, in their gym and at their fights. She spent six weeks documenting their young lives.

This exhibition of photographs explores the reality of life as a child boxer, both in and outside of the boxing ring.

License

To license this work for editorial, creative, or other uses, click on the OZMO logo above.

This will take you to the Ozmo website where you can review the cost and license for the photographs in this exhibit.

You will need to create an account with both Amazon payments and with the Ozmo website as described on the Ozmo website.

Caption:
'The calm before the storm'
In his second fight, this young fighter, Pan, performs the Wai Khru, circling the ring three times before kneeling and bowing three times as a sign of respect to God and man. He also bows to Buddha to ask for protection for himself and his opponent and for an honourable fight.

In Thailand, it is not uncommon for children to start boxing from the age of 7 or 8 years old, some even starting as early as 5 years old. The children are sent away from home to stay at the gym where they train. They earn money when they fight, which they send home, becoming providers for their family at a very young age.

Life as a boxer is hard. They train twice a day, run twice a day and are not allowed to go out at night. Many of them go to school once a week, during the weekends. Usually by the age of 15 they have to stop going to school because the fighting takes over their lives.

Child boxing has received a lot of media attention from international human rights activists, and created much debate about the ethics of children fighting, but in Thailand there is no such debate; it is simply a way of life.

'The calm before the storm'
In his second fight, this young fighter, Pan, performs the Wai Khru, circling the ring three times before kneeling and bowing three times as a sign of respect to God and man. He also bows to Buddha to ask for protection for himself and his opponent and for an honourable fight.

'Chicken Muay Thai'
Surrounding the house where the young boxers live, there are around 40 cages with chickens used for cock fighting. This practice ring is set up for training the birds to fight before they go to the local stadium. The boys call it chicken Muay Thai.